Reprint Published

My story "In the Death Ward," first published in Thin Ice back in 1995, has been reprinted in the Winter 2007 issue of Burst, and can be read at http://www.terra-media.us/burst/Winter2007.html

6

I received a contract today from True Romance for a short story tentatively scheduled for the April issue.

This is my sixth acceptance of the year, and I'm averaging one acceptance every 4.33 days, slightly better than my goal of one each week.

Fresh starts

I wrote the opening pages of four new short stories today. The shortest is only a paragraph; the longest is nearly three pages. I write a great many opening scenes and some of them sit on my computer for months before I come back to them. But I will, sooner or later, get back to them and mold those beginnings into stories.

The things we get ourselves into

Last fall I posed for a photograph that was used in a magazine ad. That ad has been converted into an on-line advertisement now up at http://www.wacowedosports.com/events/

On the right side of the screen is an ad that changes each time the page is refreshed. One ad comes up with a picture taken from a sand trap toward the flag on the green and asks "Has an injury gotten you off-course?" The ad is a three-parter. After a moment, the second part appears on the screen and shows a guy in a blue shirt and tan pants swinging a golf club. That's me.

I've posed for other photographs before this, most recently to illustrate something in Seeds, the weekly newsletter I edit, but the golfing photo may be the first time I've ever posed for a photo ultimately used in an advertisement.

Is this the start of a modeling career?

Somehow, I doubt it...

Too Short/Too Long

I've had a long ms. bouncing around for a couple of years now. At 27,000 words it's too short for traditional book publishers and too long for magazines (despite having a couple of magazine editors say the liked they story and wished they had room to publish it!).

Earlier this evening, an editor at a new small press responded to my query and asked to see the story. I e-mailed the ms. a couple of minutes ago and have my fingers crossed (though that makes typing really, really difficult) that the story will finally find a home.

How many words?

Jeff Stehman stumped me earlier today when he asked, "Do you know how many words you sold in 2006?"

The quick answer is: No.

I don't track my output by number of words written or number of words sold. I only track finished ms. For good or ill, that means a filler has the same weight as a novella.

But Jeff's question had me wondering. How many words did I sell in 2006?

I had to pry open the filing cabinets and rifle through the drawers to get an answer, and here's what I came up with:

In 2006 I sold:

At least 193,100 words of original material.

8,000 words co-authored with Tom Sweeney.

And some reprints that I didn't bother counting.

I'm pretty sure I missed a couple of ms. in my haste, and this count doesn't include any of the advertising or public relations material I wrote, nor does it include the miscellaneous writing I do as an editor (headlines, cutlines, blurbs, etc.).

Now I'm left with a question that I can't answer: Is there any direct correlation between number of words written and number of words sold?

5

I received a contract in today's mail--my fifth acceptance of the year--for a short story tentatively scheduled for the May True Story.

Self-Limitation vs. Marketing Ploy

When you identify yourself as a writer, do you categorize yourself? Do you say, "I'm a horror writer" or "I'm a mystery writer" or "I'm a science fiction writer"? Or do you just say, "I'm a writer"?

There's a difference...and it can either cause you to limit your opportunities or it can be an effective marketing ploy.

If you write in a single genre, and you do it either because that's all you want to write or all you're capable of writing, then clearly identifying yourself as a particular kind of writer makes sense. If Sally Editor or Joe Client needs a "horror writer" for a project, they know to contact Bill The Horror Writer.

But if Bill The Horror Writer has the ability and the desire to write many other things, then being so clearly identified with a single genre can prevent him from picking up assignments he might enjoy.

At the same time, if Bill The Horror Writer tells himself that all he wants to write is horror--in effect limiting himself to a single genre--he might not ever discover that he is capable of writing in other genres and may, in fact, be more successful outside of his chosen genre.

(I've related this story many times before, but I began as a science fiction writer and had modest success. Then a men's magazine editor liked one of my science fiction stories but couldn't buy it because the magazine's publisher wouldn't publish SF. The editor asked if I had anything else. I wrote a mystery. Sold it to him. I wrote another mystery. Sold it to him. I wrote a third mystery. Sold it to another editor. After years of watching my SF stories bounce around the markets before finding homes, I sold the first three mysteries I wrote. That opened my eyes to possibilities I'd never previously considered and I attempted, and found success, writing in other genres.)

Of course, one can self-identify without self-limiting. Both my Web site and my blog identify me as CrimeFictionWriter. I have probably been most successful writing crime fiction, but I was identified by others as a mystery writer before I pinned the label on myself. So I've run with it.

So I am "Crime Fiction Writer."

But I am also so much more.

Shouldn't you be?

Who am I today?

I occasionally cross paths with writers--either in person on in on-line forums--who self-limit their opportunities.

For example: I am a white male of a certain age. The self-limiting writers I meet would have me believe that I should only write stories about white males of my age to be read by white males of my age. This indicates a lack of imagination on the part of these other writers--writers who, ironically, may write science fiction or fantasy or horror and seem to have no problems imagining things that don't exist.

If I can imagine faster-than-light travel or ghosts of dead relatives speaking to me, why can't I imagine what it might be like to be a different gender or a different ethnic background or a different religion? Why can't I imagine what it might be like to be substantially younger or substantially older than I am? Why can't I imagine what it might be like to be handicapped or to have substantially more or less education or to live at a substantially different socio-economic level?

Why indeed?

So I write for men's magazines and women's magazines, white magazines and black magazines, teen magazines and senior magazines, and on and on and on.

But one thing I don't do is pretend to be something other than what I am when I'm dealing with editors. I present myself as a writer, and as long as I meet editorial requirements with my submissions, few editors question who I am off the page.

Of course, sometimes editors change my byline so readers think I'm someone else...

4

Today's e-mail brought my 4th acceptance of the year; this time an anthology editor accepted a short horror story.

Ice & Productivity

Icy roads have kept me home more than usual the past few days, and today, because I couldn't go anywhere until late morning, I finished another new short story. This one was requested by an anthology editor and I hope I met his expectations. If not, I'll only have about 10 days to write something else.

I also received a request from another anthology editor, the second time she's emailed me about her current project, and I've been noodling around with ideas that might meet her requirements. Alas, this isn't a commission or a specific assignment, just a note that we'd previously worked together and that she'd "welcome the chance to read" anything I submitted for her current project.

Productivity

I finished two new short stories today--one at 1,300 words and the other at 7,000 words--and will drop them in a mailbox tomorrow.

3

This afternoon I received my third acceptance of the year. Burst will be reprinting "In the Death Ward," a story first published in 1995.

2

I received my second acceptance of the year earlier this morning--a deal-with-the-devil story.

(There are two stories that have been overdone--or so I've been told: Adam-and-Eve stories and deal-with-the-devil stories. Yet, I've sold one Adam-and-Eve story and at least two deal-with-the-devil stories. Go figure.)

Published & etc.

My short story "Love From Above" appears in the February True Story, on newsstands now.

Yesterday I received my first rejection of the year. So far, no acceptances and no rejections today.

Seton Hill

It's official: I'll be speaking at Seton Hill University's "In Your Write Mind," June 22-24. I signed the contract earlier today.

Anthology Proposal & Etc.

I completed the anthology proposal today, thanks to help from a couple of mystery/private eye historians, an anthology editor with more experience working with large publishing houses, and some well-known writers willing to have their name attached to the project. I have high hopes for this one as my historian friends were unable to find any previous anthology with this theme!

I also found markets for an essay and a short story that had not yet found homes and prepared them for submission.

And, I added a significant chunk to a story-in-progress.

I've been working 12-plus hours a day all week, so I might just shut the computer down and veg in front of the TV all night. We'll see.

Productivity

I finished a new short story yesterday and have it ready to go in the mail the next time I leave the house. I spent most of the yesterday concentrating on two projects: editing a monthly newspaper that's due today and preparing the anthology proposal. I managed to write only a few paragraphs of fiction--additions to two short stories in-progress--and made notes for a couple of more stories.

Anthology bite

I've edited eight private eye/hardboiled anthologies for a small press. During the past year I've been trying to move up the food chain and have been sending queries to New York publishing houses. I received my first bite today, and I’ve been asked to submit an outline/proposal.

So I'll spend the next day or two--in and around my other projects--putting the proposal together.

1

My first acceptance of the year, a short article titled "Types of Community Gardens," appears in today's issue of Seeds, an e-mailed newsletter. It was originally written as a sidebar to an article published in the January/February issue of Texas Gardener, but there wasn't room for it in the magazine. After a touch of rewriting, I was able to place it in the newsletter.

Typical day

Kitty asked, "Have you ever done a post on what your typical day looks like?"

Until I read Kitty's question in a response to one of my previous posts, I didn't think I had a "typical day," but the more I think about it, the more I think I do.

Monday through Friday I rise around 8:00. I meet with one or more of my clients to determine their needs and I do whatever needs to be done for them. It may be writing a press release, advertisement, or brochure. It may be selecting and editing material for publication. It may be something else related to those projects, such as contacting a printing company.

Each of my three primary clients has work that is deadline driven. For example, I edit a weekly newsletter, a monthly newspaper, and a bi-monthly magazine. The symphony concerts occur on specific dates and require appropriate advertising/publicity to ensure that people show up at the right place at the right time.

Additionally, I occasionally pick up one-shot projects--a short story for this magazine, a magazine article for that magazine, a Web site for a company. Each of those projects has a deadline.

Then a juggle like crazy to keep all projects on schedule.

In addition to deadline-driven work for clients and deadline-driven assignments from editors, I also write a great deal of fiction on speculation ("on spec" means that I am writing without assignment and with only a hope of future income). I do that in the "down" time between everything else during the week and on weekends and holidays.

The downside of all of this work is that I'm a bit of a stick-in-the-mud. I wind up not giving my family the time and attention they deserve, I don't have wild adventures (scuh as flying off on spur-of-the-moment vacations), and I don't socialize a great deal.

Writer's block?

Kitty wrote, "I'm pea-green with envy that you are such a prolific writer because I've been trying to break through my writer's block for months. Have you ever experienced it? If so, got any suggestions for me? So far, the 'just do it' approach isn’t working."

Although this probably isn't the answer you're looking for: There's no such thing as writer's block.

You either write or you don't write. It's that simple.

I view writing as a job. (I have to because it's how I put food on the table.) Just like any other job, I have good days and bad days. I have days when I am stunningly brilliant and other days when I even bore myself. I have days when I'm highly productive and other days when I barely manage to put two words together and spell both of them correctly. I can't afford to have a "block."

Think of it this way: If you were a plumber, how long could you afford to have "plumber's block" before you found yourself living on the street? If you were a doctor, how long could you have "doctor's block" before creditors started hounding you for repayment of all those school loans? If you were an airplane pilot, how long could you have "pilot's block" before your jumbo jet hit the ground?

That said, I realize writing--particularly creative writing--requires more emotional involvment than, say, snaking a drain. Our emotions can interfere with our productivity.

The key is to work around whatever is interfering with your ability to write.

If one of your parents just died, your spouse just walked out, or your cat's in cardiac arrest, for God's sake take care of the situation. Writing can wait.

If you can't pinpoint an external reason preventing you from writing, perhaps it's the particular project you're trying to work on. Maybe you're forcing yourself to work on something you shouldn't be working on. Unless you're writing on assignment and have a deadline, set the work aside. Start a new project. Pick something in a different genre (if you're a mystery writer, try writing a science fiction story) or a different form (if you're a short story writer, try writing a poem).

One of the ways I manage to be productive is by project-hopping and genre-hopping. If I get stuck on one piece of non-assigned writing, I stop, set it aside, and start something else or pick up something else. I constantly have three dozen or more short stories in-progress at any given time. Some I'll write in a matter of hours or days; others may take years from first word to final draft.

One last thing you can do if you just aren't getting words on a page: Work on your writing career. Spend your non-writing time studying (reading books about writing, perhaps), researching markets (go to the magazine section of your local supermarket or bookstore and look through a couple of dozen magazines you've never looked at before), or clean and organize your workspace so that it is comfortable and inviting.

One last suggestion: Don't obsess over your inability to put words on a page. If you're a writer, it's only temporary and you'll be writing again sooner or later. If you're not a writer, it really won't matter.

Writer's block?

Kitty wrote, "I'm pea-green with envy that you are such a prolific writer because I've been trying to break through my writer's block for months. Have you ever experienced it? If so, got any suggestions for me? So far, the 'just do it' approach isn’t working."

Although this probably isn't the answer you're looking for: There's no such thing as writer's block.

You either write or you don't write. It's that simple.

I view writing as a job. (I have to because it's how I put food on the table.) Just like any other job, I have good days and bad days. I have days when I am stunningly brilliant and other days when I even bore myself. I have days when I'm highly productive and other days when I barely manage to put two words together and spell both of them correctly. I can't afford to have a "block."

Think of it this way: If you were a plumber, how long could you afford to have "plumber's block" before you found yourself living on the street? If you were a doctor, how long could you have "doctor's block" before creditors started hounding you for repayment of all those school loans? If you were an airplane pilot, how long could you have "pilot's block" before your jumbo jet hit the ground?

That said, I realize writing--particularly creative writing--requires more emotional involvment than, say, snaking a drain. Our emotions can interfere with our productivity.

The key is to work around whatever is interfering with your ability to write.

If one of your parents just died, your spouse just walked out, or your cat's in cardiac arrest, for God's sake take care of the situation. Writing can wait.

If you can't pinpoint an external reason preventing you from writing, perhaps it's the particular project you're trying to work on. Maybe you're forcing yourself to work on something you shouldn't be working on. Unless you're writing on assignment and have a deadline, set the work aside. Start a new project. Pick something in a different genre (if you're a mystery writer, try writing a science fiction story) or a different form (if you're a short story writer, try writing a poem).

One of the ways I manage to be productive is by project-hopping and genre-hopping. If I get stuck on one piece of non-assigned writing, I stop, set it aside, and start something else or pick up something else. I constantly have three dozen or more short stories in-progress at any given time. Some I'll write in a matter of hours or days; others may take years from first word to final draft.

One last thing you can do if you just aren't getting words on a page: Work on your writing career. Spend your non-writing time studying (reading books about writing, perhaps), researching markets (go to the magazine section of your local supermarket or bookstore and look through a couple of dozen magazines you've never looked at before), or clean and organize your workspace so that it is comfortable and inviting.

One last suggestion: Don't obsess over your inability to put words on a page. If you're a writer, it's only temporary and you'll be writing again sooner or later. If you're not a writer, it really won't matter.

Three for the Road

I completed three new short stories today. I submitted two via e-mail; the third is packaged and ready to travel via USPS the next time I leave the house.

2006 publication stats

My publication stats for 2006:

Short fiction: 50

Non-fiction: 18

Filler: 1

2006 in review

2006 is history. So, how'd I do?

66 acceptances. 31 rejections and/or non-acceptances. (Non-acceptances include lost ms., non-responses, etc.)

I became a full-time freelancer on April 1, 2003. My total gross income from freelancing in 2006--my third full calendar year as a full-time freelancer--exceeded my total gross income from all sources for any year since the mid-90s.

Income from
Advertising & Public Relations: up 215.82%
Consulting: down 84%
Editing: up 32.02%
Fiction (not novels): down 34.64%
Non-fiction (not books): up 48.85%
Royalties (from all books): down 38.17%

Of course, percentages don't tell the entire story.

Advertising & Public Relations generated the largest dollar increase, while Editing generated the second largest dollar increase.

Editing generated the largest revenue stream, while Advertising & Public Relations generated the second largest revenue stream.

Key developments:

An Advertising & Public Relations client I gained in September 2005 kept me busy throughout 2006 and was entirely responsible for the income increase in that category.

One editing client increased my workload mid-way through 2005, kept the workload at the new level through 2006, and was responsible for part of the income increase in that category. Another editing client launched a new publication in early 2006 and was responsible for the rest of the increase in that category.

Some of the periodicals I wrote for ceased publication, some changed editors, some cancelled or cut back the use of fiction, and some have been dragging out payments the past few months, thus leading to a decrease in both freelance fiction sales and freelance fiction income.

The bulk of the increase in non-fiction income came from two sources: an existing editing client and a periodical that's already cancelled the column to which I had become a regular contributor.

Key concerns:

The bulk of my freelance income comes from three sources. While I think all of my clients are happy with my work and intend to continue our relationships, I wish I had a little more diversity in my client base.

I completed no new fiction during much of September, October, and November. While I finished a number of new stories in December, the three-month gap in productivity will probably impact my pocketbook in mid-2007.

There's a possibilty that I'll lose medical insurance in 2007. Could a desire for medical insurance make me consider returning to full-time employment?

So, how'd I do?